Little Betrayals
by BonnyAngel
Summary: AU LDYB. Sam has been hiding something from everyone. Sam stares furiously at Leoben, It's Kara Anders, Conoy.” Leoben smiles maliciously, “Not for long Eleven.” KaraLee eventually...
1. Prologue

This one has been bugging me so I thought I would get it out and see what everyone thought.

* * *

"Has anyone seen my frakkin idiot husband?" Kara Thrace asks angrily. All of the people around her just shrug.

"Wait, I think I saw him heading toward the pyramid court."

"Thanks." She waves absently and walks quickly in that direction.

Why, why me? She stalks toward the court and yells, "Frakkin idiot! You're supposed to be in bed!"

"I'm fine; little cold isn't going to stop me." She grabs him by the arm and starts dragging him back toward their tent. He begins coughing violently.

Kara grits her teeth, "Right, you're just peachy. Get into bed!"

Sam grumbles but does what she says. "And stay there Sam. I'm going to talk to Cottle again."

He reaches for her arm but she evades him easily. "Kara don't bother. I swear to the gods I am fine."

Kara ignores him, as usual. "Last time I checked 'fine' doesn't include a temp of nearly 102." He starts to say something but she interrupts, "Shut the frak up. I am just going to talk to Cottle."

Before he can say more, she is gone. "Frakkin woman." He rolls his eyes and gets up easily. He pours himself a quick shot of Ambrosia and then quickly getting back into bed…just in case she came back unexpectedly.

* * *

"Come on doc, he is really sick."

Cottle appears tired and overworked, "Like I told you the last three days you asked – I have to save what few antibiotics I have for the people that really need it." He takes out one of his last few cigarettes and lights it.

She grits her teeth and lets her head fall back. Cottle's face softens for a brief instant, "He is young and healthy. Make sure he gets enough rest, food, and fluids and he will recover just fine."

Her shoulders slump and he touches her gently then walks away.

"Kara." She hears the gravelly voice of Tigh behind her.

"Colonel. It's good to see you again." She hugs him tightly and nods to Ellen.

"Heard Sam is sick?"

"Yeah, real sick."

"Last I heard Pegasus has a supply of antibiotics. The Commander is holding them for is pilots." He knows that she and Lee hadn't talked in nearly a year, but she was grateful that he suggested it. "If he gives ya any trouble I can talk to the Old Man."

"No, sir. That will just make things…"

"Worse?" Kara laughs unhappily, "Right, worse."

* * *

Dee hands the receiver to Lee without saying anything. "Who is this?" 

"You should take it."

He takes a breath and tries not to snap, "Okay, but who is it?"

"Just take the call." She snaps.

He glances around, puzzled. Dee was getting on his nerves more and more lately and he really didn't want to deal with it today, "This is Commander Adama."

"Lee…"

His heart tightens painfully but his face remains impassive. "Yes Kara?"

She clears her throat, suddenly wanting to cry, "I need your help…It's Anders, he's sick. I know you have some antibiotics stashed up there for your pilots."

He remains silent for a moment. _Gods damn it._

Kara speaks up again, begging now. "Please? He is really sick Lee, please?"

He is about to reply when Dee grabs his arm, "Dradis contact! It's the Cylons."

He cuts his line with the surface and calls the Admiral.

Just as they jump away, he sends a prayer to the Gods for Anders to get the help he needs. As much as he wishes things had gone differently with her, he doesn't want Kara to feel any of that kind of pain again.

Kara stares at the receiver, swallowing a sob. She nearly bursts into tears when she hears the scream of a nearby raider. She glances up and sees not one, but hundreds.

* * *

As Raiders fly overhead Leoben moves steadily through the crowd until he finds what he is looking for. Oh how the mighty have fallen… He strides into the tent without warning and stares at the man in the lone bed,"Where is Kara Thrace?"

Sam glances up, surprised, never sensing any of them. He stands up suddenly, no longer appearing ill at all. "That is Kara Anders, Conoy." He says defensively.

Leoben smiles maliciously, "Not for long Eleven."

* * *

Hope you like! Review please!Dee hands the receiver to Lee without saying anything. "Who is this?" 


	2. Chapter 1

Hey everyone - I got motivated and finally cleaned up this chapter enough to post (Yay)!

* * *

Sam comes up behind Kara quietly and touches the arm with their tattoo on it gently, "Hey Kara, need you to come with me."

She turns, surprised, "What the frak are you doing out of bed?" He doesn't answer her, just tugs her behind him, "And where the frak are we going?"

"To see Baltar."

"What?!" She exclaims. Kara starts to feel like something truly horrible is about to happen and she _really_ doesn't want to see Baltar.

"Just come with me Kara."

Once they reach Colonial One two bio-Cylons nod them in. The feeling gets worse. She clings to Sam's hand as they walk by various Cylon models until she glances absently to her right and freezes. _No no no no no no…I am hallucinating, I am having a nightmare and when I wake up there won't be any Cylons and Sam and I will laugh…_

The person she is staring at stands up and turns. With the exception of the tattoo on his arm, he is an exact copy of Sam. This Sam looks at her almost sympathetically and says softly, "Hello Kara."

Kara shakes her head frantically and tugs her hand away from Sam. She turns and bolts toward the hatch to get away but is blocked by another copy of Sam and the blonde-haired woman.

Sam grabs a hold of her arm, "Kara please, just come with me."

"Let me go! Get your frakkin hands off of me!" She yanks violently out of his grasp. Once free, she folds in on herself. She shies away from any of the bio-Cylons that try to approach her. Using this to their advantage, they manage to herd her into the office.

She glances around frantically and sees all the different models that have been identified. A Leoben comes to her side and brushes his fingers over her shoulder, "Do you see? She can't even stand to have him touch her! It should be as I say." _Oh frak, this is _the_ Leoben…_

Leoben brushes his fingers over her arm and she shies away. Sam growls loudly, "She is my _wife_!"

Leoben turns and insinuates himself between Kara and Sam. Sneering at Sam he says, "That has yet to be determined."

"Determined? There is nothing to determine! We stood before a priestess and said vows."

"To the false Gods!"

"It doesn't matter…"

The sole six in the room cuts in, "Eleven, Seven! Stop arguing."

"He is trying to steal my wife and you want me to stop?"

Boomer says calmly, "She may not be your wife. We are trying to determine that now. If it was a true religious ceremony the validity of the marriage is in question."

"What the frak are you talking about?"

A Five speaks from the doorway, "We have sent Centurions for the priest that preformed the ceremony for you."

"What is she going to tell you that I can't?"

Six opens her mouth to answer but a commotion from the outer room draws everyone's attention. Sounds of fighting echo through the room. A few minutes later a tall dark haired woman walks into the room.

Everyone is silent for a moment. One of the Eights clears her throat, "What happened?"

She ignores the question and glances disdainfully around the room until her eyes fall on Kara. She walks over to her, ignoring Baltar and the Cylons, "Are you alright?" Kara shakes her head and latches onto her.

Sam runs his fingers through his hair agitatedly. "Hey Sydney."

The woman's green eyes flash menacingly and the arm she has around Kara's shoulder tightens. "What do you _want_ you piece of scrap?"

The calm voice of an Eight comes from behind Baltar, "Who is this woman?"

Baltar, speaks for the first time, "This is Sydney Atal. She is an Artimal priest."

Sydney guides Kara away from all of the Cylons to a couch on the other side of the room from Baltar. She whispers quietly to her while the Cylons continue to argue.

"Enough!" A Cavil, having grown impatient, shouts, "What did you do out there?"

Sydney shrugs negligently, "I didn't like that way the other copy of that one," she waves toward Sam, "was looking at me…so I knocked him out."

A Cavil starts toward her with the intent to backhand her to the floor but she looks at him without fear, "Do it. See what happens when all of New Caprica city find out that you have abused one of their religious leaders."

He sneers at her, "There are ways to cause pain without leaving marks."

"Yes and I know them all…or didn't your spy tell you how Kara and I know each other?" She pauses and then smirks at him, "And, honestly - who are they going to believe if I said I was attacked while in your custody...you or me?" She turns her back on all of them again and tries again to calm Kara down enough to talk to her.

All the bio-Cylons turn to look at Anders. He shrugs, "They went to the Academy together."

"A warrior priest? How quaint."

Baltar, silent up until this point, raises his head from his hands and spats, "Effective too." He gestures grandly toward the entrance. Caprica winces slightly and starts to say something.

Boomer cuts everyone off, "Sydney.." Sydney turns and glares at her. Boomer clears her throat and starts again, "Sister Atal – we want you to determine if the marriage between Kara Thrace and Sam Anders is valid."

Before either of the Sams can interrupt, Sydney says, "First – there is no Sam Anders and second, I need to talk to Kara…alone."

Over the protests of the Cavils and both Sams the two women are ushered into Baltar's private quarters. Sydney glances at Kara. Seeing that she is about to seriously break down she tries to distract her. She around curiously and sneers at the mess. "And I thought you were a pig Kara."

Sydney watches as Kara shrugs and walks toward the window in the room. "What do you want me to do Kara?"

Kara's head falls forward and her shoulders start to shake. Sydney hugs her as she starts to sob, "Oh Gods, I left Lee to marry a Cylon…I gave up everything good in my life for a toaster, a piece of scrap!"

Sydney rubs her shoulder soothingly and looks over at the door, "Kara, they aren't going to give us much more time – you have to tell me what I need to do. I can uphold or dissolve the marriage, but you have to tell me what _you_ want."

Kara breaths deeply for a moment, "Every time I thing about me being with Sam…with Eleven I want to tear my skin off, scald it and scrub it away until its all gone. When I look at Leoben I feel sick to my stomach." She clenches her jaw and rubs her eyes roughly, "Get me out of this frakkin marriage."

* * *

Sydney walks into the temple and heads straight to Sister Tivenan, "I just came from Colonial One. 

Tivenan breaths deeply in relief when she hears Sydney's voice and turns to look at her, "Yes, Galen stopped by to mention that he saw you being dragged in that direction. He was worried."

"There was no need. They have no intention of hurting me…_that _would cause them too much trouble."

Tivenan nods in agreement, "What did they want?"

"The Cylons wanted a meeting to determine the validity of Kara's marriage."

Tivenan nods, "I hope you dissolved it." Sydney nods.

"I just wanted to make sure…"

Tivenan smiles slightly, "Anything to ease that child's pain has to be the will of the Gods. If one of those Sam models comes by to ask my opinion I will certainly uphold your decision."

"He is going to point out that I have been a priest for less than two years."

"And I am going to point out that I would still trust your opinion over that of a Cylon spy. Do not worry – he can go to every priest on this planet, no one will reverse your ruling."

"Thank you Sister."

Tivenan gives her a smirk and waves her to the door. "It is nothing. You should get going. I'm sure that Laura is eagerly waiting for your help at the school today."

Sydney cocks her eyebrow questioningly, "Isn't that be a bit obvious?"

"How would they know? They have only been here a few hours…and I doubt Sam would notice or comment on it. Just remember to not get _too_ involved."

Sydney laughs bitterly as she steps out into the cold just in time to see two of the blondes head toward the school. _Gods damned Cylons…

* * *

_

Reviews are motivation... 


	3. Chapter 2

It has been pointed out to me that I utterly suck at writing summaries. Anyone want to suggest a better one?

* * *

Kara sits quietly with her knees to her chest, staring at the smooth walls of the basestar. They had brought her up here quickly after Sydney made her decision about the annulment. Leoben had tried to talk to her the whole way up and for nearly an hour after they had arrived but she ignored him to stare at the wall. 

She shudders and curls her whole body as tight as she can. The whole scene just keeps replaying over and over in her head…

_Baltar is standing near one of the windows, drinking some dark (and probably alcoholic) beverage. There are three 'Sam' models in the room and they are standing as near to her as they could. Leoben is, of course, glaring at all three of them and the various other models are scattered in the room, most looking bored._ So sorry that the worst day of my life isnt more entertaining..._Kara watches_ _Sydney sitting behind Baltar's desk. She watches everyone in the room carefully and finally she looks at Sam, "Do you have a civil union that is recognized under Colonial law?"_

_Leoben grunts loudly and Sam turns to glare at him before answering coldly, "No. But that doesn't matter. All marriages preformed by clergy since the…"_

"_Genocide?" Kara supplies nastily._

_Sam looks at her pleadingly, clears his throat, and continues, "Have been acknowledged by the government."_

_Sydney glances up at Baltar and sees him nod. She looks back at Sam, contemplates him for a moment and turns to Kara, "Thrace? Would you have married the man you believed to be Samuel Anders if you had known that he was a Cylon?"_

_She shakes her head vehemently, "Never."_

"_Eleven? Did you intentionally deceive Kara Thrace, through passive or active means, to obtain her consent for marriage?"_

"_I didn't ask her to marry me, _she_ asked _me_!"_

_Sydney cocks her eyebrow at him, "Semantics. Answer the question."_

_Sam clenches his jaw tightly and answers through his teeth, "Yes."_

"_Is this going to take much longer?"_

_Sydney turns to glowers at Leoben for interrupting, "It would take less time if you would stop interrupting." Sydney glances at her in question. She nods at her and she continues, "On the grounds that this copy of the Cylon model Eleven deceived Kara Thrace in order to obtain her consent in marriage, I declare the marriage null. In the eyes of the Gods, Kara Thrace has never been married and is now free to marry."_

_One of the alternate Sams exclaims, "What? That isn't a valid reason!!" _

_Sydney rolls her eyes and quotes "_An annulment is permitted if one partner had been deceived by the other in order to obtain consent, and if the partner had been aware of the truth, would not have consented to marry_." _

_The Cylons begin to disperse, taking all but Boomer, Leoben, and the blonde with them. Kara stands and walks toward Sydney but Leoben blocks her. "Kara…"_

_From the doorway they all hear,_ "_Don't you frakkin touch her!" Leoben sneers at the Eleven and ignores him. He turns back to Kara and says gently, "You made your choice, now you are coming with me."_

"_What the frak are you talking about? You think that because I didn't want to be married to him that I want to be with you?"_

_Boomer says soothingly, "Leoben is right, you made a choice. We are going to take you up to the basestar until more suitable quarters can be built." Kara looks to Sydney in a panic._

"_You can't be serious. A choice?! What choice? You claim to just want to help – that we can continue with _our_ laws – according to our laws kidnapping is _illegal_! You are already going against what you have told us." _

_Boomer and Leoben just look at the two women. Sydney clenches her jaw tightly, turns her back to them, and ushers Kara to the other side of the room. She whispered quietly "I will do what I can to help you." Kara takes several deep breaths and nods. _

_Before the two Cylons can take her away Kara asks, "Can you go to my tent and get some of my things? Keep them with you." The last site she has of Sydeny is of her glaring at Boomer._

Kara is summoned from her memories when an Eight enters the room. "I brought you some food Kara..." Kara glowers at what she could only assume was Boomer sharply, "Starbuck." She corrects quickly.

Kara glances at the food, shrugs, and starts eating it. "I suppose there are drugs in this?" She asks.

Boomer shakes her head, "Starbuck, I would never harm you – I still consider you one of my best friends. I want you to realize that the Cylons are here for peace. We will do nothing to hurt you."

Kara snorts, "Right, peace – you who claims to want peace and good will, who claims to be my friend, are allowing your little pals to hold me against my will. Sounds to me like all you want is control."

Boomer shifts uncomfortably, "It's different with you Starbuck."

She snorts again, "Oh, sure it is. Is it going to be 'different' with the Chief to? And all the other people you toasters have manipulated over the years? Is it going to be _different_ with the former president?"

Boomer looks down at the floor and shakes her head, "You are completely different. As much as I want another chance with Galen…he is just another man. Laura Roslin won't be harmed as long as she obeys the…law. You…well, you have a destiny."

Kara grunts in frustration and runs her fingers through her hair, "All you frakkin Cylons keep saying that but how do you know? Who are you getting this so called 'prophecy' from? Moreover, why do you think that my destiny has anything to do with _helping_ you? What if my destiny is to obliterate the Cylons?"

Boomer is silent for several minutes. _That is a distinct possibility._ Ignoring Kara's interpretation of their prophecy she says, "I spoke with the others. You won't be up here for long. We are building a…"

Kara holds up her hand, "No, wait - let me guess…a detention center." Boomer has the grace to blush. Kara shakes her head in disgust, "You say you come to live in peace with us and the first thing you do is build a prison. That's going to send quite a message."

Boomer stares at the floor for a moment before looking at Starbuck's back, "I know you are going to find this hard to believe, but the Cylons truly do want peace."

* * *

As Boomer leaves Kara's quarters, she runs into Sam. He ignores her and walks toward the doorway she just left, "Don't. She doesn't want to see you." 

"That isn't up to you. I just want to talk to her."

She shakes her head. "No, you had your chance. She doesn't love you and I doubt she ever did."

"That's not true, we were good together. She _choose_ to marry me."

Caprica joins the two, followed by a Centurion that takes a post in front of Kara's cell door, "Let it go Sam. She doesn't want you. She said it clearly not three hours ago. Let Leoben fulfill his destiny."

He rolls his eyes and looks back and forth between the two of them, "You think he is better for her than I am?"

Boomer says, "Honestly? Yes. Leoben is better for her. He hasn't been corrupted by human desires. He never professed to have faith to the false Gods. She has always known about his basic nature." She pauses and then exhales quietly, "And that isn't much, but it is something that may allow her to trust him."

"You are one to talk of human corruption. You lived with them for how long? And I _love _her."

Caprica cuts in sharply, "No you don't. You love the idea of being the Cylon with her. The one who gets to share in her destiny. We all know it has never been Kara herself that you are enamored with." She continues, "Boomer was a sleeper agent – it has always been her purpose to be more human than the rest of us. _You_ weren't."

Sam looks shell shocked at Caprica then turns to Boomer. "You don't really believe that do you?"

Boomer shrugs, "I believe it's a possibility. Considering how you chose to infiltrate Colonial society. You made yourself a star Pyramid player and I know about your chosen lifestyle on Caprica, no expense spared and every excess." She sighs heavily, half-smiles at him and strokes his arm lightly, "Just go Sam. It has been decided."

He grinds his teeth, spins around angrily and stalks off. Boomer says to Caprica absently, "He is going to be a problem."

Caprica nods, "Which is why I brought the Centurion."

Sharon rolls her eyes and the two walk toward the command center of the ship. "I have a random question…did you know Sam was a Cylon when you killed Three?"

She shakes her head, "No. I found out the same time you did."

"Then why did you do it?"

"The woman was trying to have both of us boxed." She tries to suppress a grin, "And she just pisses me off in general."

Boomer nods emphatically in agreement.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter (cause it was a pain to write). 

Please, PLEASE review!!


	4. Chapter 3

A nice long chapter for your viewing pleasure. Don't forget to review when you're finished!

* * *

Sydney sits, reading to the younger children in the school tent when three Centurions trudge by behind a Sam and a Three. In her peripheral vision, she can see them pause in from on the tent and glance in her direction. After a short discussion, they both continue past the tent. She rolls her eyes and continues to read to the children. Once the story is finished, the children scurry toward their desks to play with art supplies. 

Sydney notices they are more subdued now than they were before. She starts to ask Laura what is wrong when Dana, a girl with dark hair and blue eyes, glances up at Sydney, "Where Kara?" Sydney stares at her at loss for words. _Well that answers my question._ She glances over at Laura for help.

Laura calmly says, "Kara is…she won't be able to teach art for a while."

All the children look between the two women solemnly. Ziven, a boy of no more than four says, "I heard Daddy tell Mommy that they took her."

Laura smiles but there is no mirth, "You shouldn't eavesdrop on your parent's conversation." When several of the children start to speak up she continues, "Kara is fine and I am sure that if she could be here she would. Now your parents will be here soon and I am sure that you want to show them a drawing that you did today."

When the children are finally gone Sydney looks at Laura, "Why didn't you just tell them?"

"What good would that have done?"

"They would know the truth."

One corner of Laura's mouth quirks up, "Children are far more perceptive than adults give them credit for. They know and can comprehend what has changed in their life and are aware of what has happened to Kara. They already know the truth." She pauses and sighs, "They wanted us to lie to them."

The two women sit in silence for several minutes. Finally, Laura slowly shakes her head and says, "It's good to have you here Sydney. The children love you."

She shrugs, "Yeah, well there is no accounting for taste."

Laura smiles, "I actually wanted to ask you about something privately."

Sydney looks intently at Laura's face appraisingly, "Sister Tivenan and I can't get involved in the resistance. We can't…"

Before Sydney can finish Laura interrupts, "What happens when this is all over and you two are accused of…?"

"Collaborating?" She finished for her.

Laura nods.

Sydney glances around at the empty desks and exhales heavily, "Laura, you know I would if I could." She pauses and shakes her head, "If any of the clergy gets involved in this...what is going to happen if I…if _any _of us are detained? How many people do you think are going to protest and die for it?"

Laura's jaw clenches and she nods, "They're gunning for you, aren't they?"

"Oh, that is an understatement – I'm sure. It would be a perfect way to control the population in general and Kara in particular."

* * *

Caprica pauses at the door to Kara's quarters. She knocks lightly and walks in with the tray of food. "I brought you some food. It's better than the stuff you have been eating." 

Kara remains laying on the floor with her hands under her head. She glances over lazily, "You're the one, Baltar's lover from Caprica right?"

Caprica nods.

"Hmm, why? He is bat-shit crazy."

She smiles gently, "I think you are biased because of your experience with him."

"Told you about that did he?"

"Gaius isn't known for his discretion. And it was less telling, more bragging."

She laughs humorlessly. "You know I voted for him? I was sick and tired of fighting." She lets her eyes close again, "I thought I had found something else to live for." She rubs her forehead tiredly.

Despite her reservations Caprica feels her emotions soften toward this woman. Caprica knew about her childhood and the death of Zak Adama. And she knows what it is like to have your emotions used against you. "I did too."

Kara glances up at her. She continues, "I thought Gaius and I would have what Sharon and Helo have. But at his core, Giaus is incapable of loving anyone but himself."

"So why are you still pining after him?"

"The heart wills, the mind does not always follow."

"You're quoting _our_ scripture. How charming." She stands and goes toward the tray and picks up a fork. She sees Caprica stiffen. "Keep your panties on I'm not going to kill you."

"You have already managed to strangle Leoben."

"That's different."

"Oh?"

"You're not trying to get me pregnant." Caprica's eyes widen and Kara smirks, "That is the point isn't it?"

"Love is the point."

Kara snorts skeptically, "See, now you are lying to me."

Both of them glance up when the door opens. Boomer walks in. "So Boomer, how is life on New Caprica? How is Cally?" Kara asks caustically.

Her mouth tightens, "She had the baby last night. A healthy boy."

Kara's eyes close briefly and her jaw clenches. Caprica and Boomer look at each other in question. Caprica shakes her head and Boomer shrugs.

Kara says softly, "They asked me to be his Gods mother. I don't suppose you will let me be there when he is dedicated?"

Caprica stares at the floor and Boomer looks anywhere but at Kara, "You know that that isn't possible."

Kara laughs mirthlessly, "Right." She turns away from the two Cylon women, "Thanks for the food. Now, go the frak away."

* * *

Several of the humanoid Cylons are relaxing together in a large room. Leoben and Six are playing chess quietly in the corner. Six would glance up at Sam pacing around the room restlessly. Everyone else notices but most ignore it. He finally leaves the room in a huff. A six, warned by her sister, Caprica, turns to a Leoben "Watch unauthorized and unscheduled launches." 

He looks up at the doorway, "How long?"

"Three hours."

He nods.

* * *

Kara stares at the ceiling trying to decide if she wants to sleep. She hears the door open and assumes it's Leoben, "Go the frak away." 

"Kara."

She jumps up, backs away, and glares. Through clenched teeth, "I want to talk to you even _less_ than I want to talk to _him_."

"Kara, please…" He reaches for her, but she grabs his hand and twists. Not anticipating this he yanks her forward into a wall.

Pain explodes in her skull and travels down her spine. She slumps forward against the wall, moaning quietly.

"God damn it Kara…why did you make me do that?"

She braces her hands against the wall and tries to stand, "So…this is…my…fault?" She breaths heavily, pain shooting through every nerve ending she has.

He kneels next to her and touches her arm lightly only to have her yank it violently away from him. Her face tightens in pain at the movement.

Sam looks up at the door, ignores Kara's protests, and picks her up and throws her over his shoulder. Once in the hallway he starts toward the hanger deck. "What the frak are you doing?"

"Im going to take you to the surface and we can hide."

"Get this through your programming _Eleven_, I don't want you and I sure as _Hades _don't love you!"

He ignores her and quickens his pace. They finally reach the entrance to the deck and he begins to breath a little easier. Suddenly he feels a sharp pain in his back and instinctively drops her. As he turns to see what she has, she jumps up and jabs him in the neck with a fork. He grabs her and they both go tumbling to the floor. He tries to speak but nothing will come out.

Yanking her arm away from his, she stands and runs as fast as she can toward the nearest heavy raider.

* * *

Laura glances up at the sound of a heavy raider. She looks over at Tivenan and she shrugs. "I have no idea – as far as I was informed there were to be no shipments today." 

Suddenly the smooth flight of the raider becomes erratic and it lists to the side heading to land (or crash) outside of the city. Once it is out of sight the two women look at each other, "Why do I have the feeling that it would be best if we got there before the Cylons did?"

* * *

"He is beautiful Galen." 

The Chief preens at the compliment. "Yeah, Cally swears he is the best looking baby ever born."

Sydney snorts, "So do all mothers." She grins at the sleeping infant in her arms, "When will you have him dedicated? Sister Tivenan has been bugging me to find out."

His smile fades a bit, "Starbuck was supposed to be his Gods mother. Doesn't seem right to do it without her there."

Sydney is about to reply when she hears a heavy raider flying overhead. She and Galen step outside of the tent and she sees it. It is flying lower and will probably crash in the woods outside of the settlement.

In her bones Sydney knows that Kara is piloting that raider and is going to need help once she lands. She hands Nicolas to his father, grabs one of the Chief's flashlights and takes off toward the woods.

"Be careful!"

She looks back at him and nods.

* * *

Kara jerks the controls roughly trying to get the damned thing to not crash. She manages to pull up enough to coast on the tops of the trees. Finally relaxing her grip, the ship falls into the woods. It's progress is finally stopped by a large tree. To say the impact was jarring would be an understatement. 

Kara is thrown forward, catching herself with her left wrist. She feels something pop but pushes against the consol and falls backward, hitting the back of her head. Her whole right side feels numb.

She lays there for a moment, allowing a few tears to slip out. Finally taking a deep breath, she uses her aching left hand to pull herself onto her side. She can feel the cold seeping into the ship and curses herself, "Great planning Thrace. Didn't even grab a jacket."

She manages to get the hatch open enough to fall out. She grunts when she hits the ground and pushes herself onto her knees. The feeling in her right side is starting to return and it feels like someone is pricking her with a million tiny needles.

Staggering to her feet, Kara heads toward the undamaged section of the forest. Once in the shade the temperature drops significantly and goosebumps rises on her arms. She leans against a tree, getting her bearings when she hears something moving.

"Frak." She glances up at the tree, _right Thrace – there is no way you could make it up there._ She is about to try to run in the opposite direction when she hears, "Kara!" She sags with relief. _Just Sydney_.

Sydney comes into sight and she tries to call to her but all that comes out is a hoarse sound. It must have been enough because Sydney's head snaps in her direction and she starts to pick her way through toward her.

Finally reaching Kara, Sydney says breathlessly, "Gods Kara, you don't do things half way do you?"

"I like to make things interesting." She shrugs and then winces. Sydney yanks off her jacket and wraps Kara up.

"Come on, we have to get you to a doctor."

Kara shakes her head, "No, they know that that will be the first place I would go."

"You need to see someone! Look at you; I know you have _at least_ a concussion."

Kara just shakes her head. Sydney exhales loudly, "What do you want to do then? You can't just stay out here. You'll freeze or starve." Kara nods and Sydney helps her to her feet and they start toward the city. "How the frak did you get off the base-ship?"

She sneers, "Sammy got careless. I got away from him and stole the raider."

Sydney smirks, "Sammy is going to be in trouble then."

Kara shrugs. Both women are quiet for most of the trip back toward the city. They maneuver over a fallen tree and pause when the edge of the woods come into sight. "Maybe you should leave me here and go get a doctor."

"Are you sure?"

Kara nods. "It would be safer for both of us."

Sydney cocks her eyebrow and smirks, "Hmmm, right. Its okay to say that you are a wimp and can't make it."

Kara sticks her tounge out at her, "Nice try, not going to work though. If we go waltzing through New Caprica city then someone _will _rat on us. Then we will both be screwed."

Rolling her eyes Sydney nods and helps Kara sit down against a tree. "Don't move."

Kara watches her leave and lets her head fall back against the tree. She sighs in relief. _Finally free, now have to figure out I stay that way until Galatica shows up_. She closes her eyes and lets herself fall into a light sleep.

Kara starts awake when she hears a branch snap and calls out, "Well that was fast Sydney."

Sydney appears but something was…_oh frak_…her hands were cuffed together and behind her were two of the Cavil models and one of those Simons.

Sydney kneels down next to her and whispers, "The found me coming out of the woods. I'm so sorry Kara."

Before she can reply Cavil number one yanks Sydney up and Cavil number two grips the jacket Kara is wearing and drags her to her feet. Both of them roughly haul the women back to the city.

Kara grits her teeth against the pain he is causing, _I will not give them the frakkin satisfaction.

* * *

_

Baltar's office is crowed when the two Cavils come in dragging the women behind them. They push both women roughly to their knees so that they are facing each other. Cavil pulls a gun out and holds it to Sydney's head. "Choose now Thrace, choose either Sam or Leoben. And not choosing is not an option – if you don't give me an answer in 10 seconds I will blow her head off." 

"Ten"

Sydney looks at Kara dead in the eyes and shakes her head. Kara's eyes blur as tears well up. _Gods, tell me what to do…_

"Nine"

Boomer jerks involuntarily toward Cavil. She can see that he is serious, he will kill Sydney. _God, please tell me what to do…_

"Eight"

Kara's jaw is shaking. Sam had never seen her shake with fear before but right now, she is definatly shaking. And _he_ was causing her pain. _God, why couldn't I just wait that frakker out? She would have come back to me eventually. _

"Seven"

Baltar whispers furiously in Caprica's ear, begging, pleading, and bargaining for all he is worth. "You know what will happen if Sydney is killed like this – you will have riots like you have never seen. You will have to kill every last human on this planet." He grabs her arm and forces her to look at him, "Including me."

"Six"

_What do I do? If I don't make a choice I am responsible for my friend's death and if I do then the next time I cause a problem they will drag her back and do it all again._

"Five"

Sydney closes her eyes briefly and prays for guidance. She knows that Cavil is serious, he would make Kara choose or lose something precious to her and would keep killing until she chose. _Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer – if it is my time I accept it. Keep your daughter, Kara Thrace safe…_

"Four"

Leoben stands straight, every muscle tense. He didn't want this. He didn't want it to be like this. She was supposed to come to him in love – not violence. If Sydney died, Kara…wouldn't be Kara anymore. _Almighty God, help me - give me a sign._

Cavil's grip on the gun tightens and he presses the barrel into the back of her head, "THREE"

Simon and Aaron stand side by side and are by far the calmest in the room. Simon watches the scene with clinical detachment. Yes, there would be trouble if Sydney was killed, but Kara needed to get on with her destiny. It was nothing more than a neccesary action.

Aaron didn't care either way, he didn't subscribe to the whole destiny spiel and didn't much care about the priestess. However, they could _not_ have disobedience on the scale that Thrace showed. It had to be dealt with.

"TWO"

Caprica suddenly wrenches her arm away from Gaius, "ENOUGH – this is madness!" She grabs Cavil's arm and yanks it away from Sydney's head, "Do you realize what you are about to do? What it will cause? How are we to get more Hybrids if _you_ cause the death of the _entire population_?"

Leoben quickly steps between Cavil and Sydney, "We agree."

Sam nods, "We agree."

All the Cylons and Baltar turn to look at Simon and Aaron. Simon tilts his head slightly in thought. _Caprica has a point, how are we to get more hybrids if he don't have anyone to hybridize with?_ He glances at Aaron and shrugs negligently, "We agree."

Aaron's face shows surprise at the turn of events and opens his mouth to say something but closes it. After another moment of thought he shrugs, "We agree."

Cavil flushes in rage. "We can't let this go – she has to make a choice! And she has to live with it."

Boomer clenches her jaw tightly, "She already did, moron. Within the _first three hours_ of our time on the planet she made a choice – she _chose_ Leoben through her divorce of Anders." She glares at him in disgust and motions toward everyone in the room, "_This_ was _unnecessary_."

Three sighs, disgusted. She glares at Caprica, Kara, and Boomer in turn. Finally shaking her head grudgingly, "We agree."

Another Cavil model places his hand on his brother's shoulder, "We agree. Put it down brother." Cavil glares at everyone with his jaw clenched. He looks down at Sydney and Kara who had managed to huddle together while everyone was distracted. The sight set him off. He lashes out, backhanding Sydney. A second later, he found himself being held tightly by another of his model, Leoben, and Sam. _Traitors…_

"Go back to your Baseship – just go." The other Cavil says.

Sydney stares hard at his retreating back. Her jaw feels like it exploded – _the frakker packs a wallop_. Once he is gone from sight, she breaths for what seems like the first time since she entered the room. Feels Kara next to her sobbing breathlessly. She closes her eyes and concentrates on breathing and trying to stop her limbs from trembling.

Kara startles as she sees Boomer kneel down in front of Sydeny. "You need to get that looked at. Simon could do it." _Oh frak, how am I going to explain my face?_

Both women laugh mirthlessly and Kara sums up their feelings perfectly, "No frakkin way is a toaster touching her again."

Boomer flinches away, but nods in agreement. "I will send for Cottle."

* * *

"So what do we do with him?" 

"Black-box the bastard and be done with it." Cavil says angrily.

Another Eleven model protests, "We shouldn't start black-boxing our own people just because they have…" He trails off and glances at Boomer and Caprica.

Boomer cocks her eyebrow at him, "What? Been _infected_? Become too human?"

Eleven opens his mouth to respond but a Simon model cuts him off, "Stop it – that isn't what he meant Eight. And we are here to come up with a solution that is _acceptable_," he glances at the Cavil significantly, "to _everyone_."

Boomer stares at Leoben carefully, "What do you think Leoben?"

He smiles, "I think…I understand him better than most of us. He feels what very few of us have felt." His gaze slides over Caprica and Boomer. Caprica nearly rolls her eyes, _Great – keep pointing out how we are different_…Leoben continues, "What would you do for your human?"

Boomer crosses her arms and remains silent, Caprica shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Three nearly sneers at them both and five shakes his head.

Boomer thinks furiously, how to save Sam? Caprica glances at one of her sister Sixes, she nods slightly and says, "Send him to the Homeworld. He will be out of the way and can continue to contribute to God's plan."

Everyone glances around to everyone else and Five asks, "Is this acceptable to everyone?" Everyone nods, even the Cavil.

"Okay…so how are we going to get him to go willingly?"

* * *

Review! Please?!?! I need them to survive! 


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